Perfect

Summary: Annabeth never used the word perfect. And it didn't change when she met Him. AU. Not really mushy, but fairly romantic. Humorous. Maybe.

Chapter 1: Enjoy The Silence

Annabeth couldn't stand going to the mall. Too many people, too much noise, obnoxious in-your-face sales men, with their in-your-face advertisements for their slutty, 4 inches for $60 material. It was just annoying to the 16 year old, curly blonde haired girl. With a sigh, she continued on her way to Hot Topic to find her friend. Even though Annabeth tended to be a bit on the conserved side, she did notice all the good looking guys around her. None her type, with her preferred standards and appeal of course.

After about two minutes, she finally made it to the store, spotting her friend in a second due to her bright pink shirt, her midnight black hair, and her sparkling blue eyes.

"Silena," she smiled, walking up to her friend.

Silena hugged Annabeth tight, much to her discomfort. "Hey, girl, how you been?" she squealed.

"I've been good," she lied. "And yourself?"

"Aw-may-zingg," she cooed.

"That's good. So..you asked me to meet you hear because..?"

Silena bit her lip nervously. "Um, I kind of set you up on a blind date with someone.." Annabeth had no words, just anger. "He's cute and sooo your type, I promise!"

"Did you know you're about to be killed?" Annabeth said, more serious than not. "Because you're about to die. Hows it feel to know that you're now marked for death?"

"Don't be so melodramatic!"

'Right, I'm the melodramatic one,' she thought.

"I can see myself brutally stabbing you seven times in the stomach."

"..so can I, but please don't!"

"We'll see."

"Anyways…your date starts in 22 minutes so I have some things picked out for you."

Clothes were thrown into Annabeths arms and she was ushered into a changing room without having any say in the matter. She sighed and decided to just go with it. She quickly stripped her shirt off, but covered herself up immediately when Silena barged right into the room with her.

"Excuse me!" Annabeth cried.

"Shut up, we're all girls here," Silena said.

She ripped away Annabeths shirt that was covering her and yanked the recently picked out shirt onto her struggling body. She made to take off Annabeths shorts but Annabeth grabbed her wrists.

"I got this one, thanks."

Silena shrugged and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her friend to get dressed. Annabeth looked in the mirror and was immediately horrified. She was wearing a black t-shirt that said 'I know what girls like' that had rips along the sides that looked suspiciously like claw marks. She was uncomfortable with the lesbian sexual innuendo. Her shorts were a lot shorter than what she was comfortable wearing. Barely, and just barely, covering her ass.

She attempted to protest but Silena gave her a look that only the captain of the cheer team could pull off, immediately shutting her up.

"How much is it going to cost me?" Annabeth sighed.

Silena snorted with laughter. "Honey, I'll take care of it. Take them off and I'll negotiate the price and pay for it myself. Don't even argue. I missed your birthday when I was in Paris and I owe you."

***15 minutes later***

Annabeth stood in her new apparel, waiting anxiously for her date. Annabeth Chase did NOT date. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty or lacked the people skills to get and hold onto a boyfriend, it was that she just wasn't interested in having one. So why, again, was she waiting in the middle of a crowded mall for some guy she never met? Oh yeah, because her friend was making her. A year ago there would have been no way she could be convinced of doing this, but Silena had just lost her mother 2 months ago and Annabeth had a soft spot for her that wasn't there before. She too, had lost her mother when she had turned 7 years old.

Annabeth gritted her teeth and did her best to look strong. Her theory was: you are only as strong as people see you, so be strong. She lived by it.

Silena squealed from beside her and pointed at a good looking tall guy walking their way. He walked with a confident strut and a swagger that showed he had a big ego. His hair was blonde, his eyes were blue, and his face had a thin scar going down the one side of it. He was handsome, but had a very arrogant first-impression-personality. How did she get all that from just one glance at him? Easy. She was brilliant, and a damn good people reader.

He walked up to her and took her hand, kissing it once. Did she swoon? Not a chance. Did Silena? Yes, sir.

"Hi," he said smoothly. "I'm Luke."

A bright smile on his part, a forced smile on hers.

"Annabeth," she said.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Annabeth. Silena talked so highly of you, but she failed to mention how gorgeous you are."

She saw right past the line he most likely uttered to dozens of foolish girls, who had fallen for it.

"Thanks," she said tightly.

He wasn't fazed. He looked to his right at Silena and gave her a look that said she should leave now. Silena picked up on it. She squeezed Annabeth in a hug and kissed her cheek.

"Have fun," she sang.

They stood there in silence for a moment, before Luke took her hand once more. "Lets get out of her. Go somewhere more..private."

Annabeth took back her hand. "I have to use the bathroom first. I'll be back in a minute."

No she won't.

She hurried toward the bathroom, but took a sharp left and toward the exit instead. She tilted her head to make sure Luke hadn't caught on to her yet, when WHAM! she smacked right into someone.

Annabeth got up grumpily and glared down at the boy she had run into. He had black hair, he appeared fairly tall, and was quite skinny with no signs of muscle. He looked up at her with an embarrassed grin, letting her see his eyes. A bright green that met a brilliant grey. His eyes flicked to her shirt and read it, he turned pink in the cheeks and smiled at the somewhat embarrassing shirt.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I should have been looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am." she replied quietly.

The boy was no Luke, but he was cute. And he looked pretty down to earth.

He got up and smiled at her, and just as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone again.

Annabeth shook her head a bit confused but walked to her car, grateful to be away from the hustle and bustle of the mall.

She kept her radio off and enjoyed the silence on her way home.

Yeah, I tried to make it original. I didn't want to jump straight into the romance. I think I nailed their characters pretty well, it's the way I see them. Annabeth the hardass that doesn't like being surprised and isn't quick to befriend someone (as we learned right away when she met Percy in the books and again with Rachel). We got just a glimpse of Percy, but he always struck me as clumsy and awkward with girls. Now Luke, I always thought of him as cocky, arrogant, and full of himself, which we just saw. And of course Silena was the standard you-can't-hate-me-for-doing-things-you-don't-approve-of-because-I'm-too-damn-cheerful-and-sweet. The way I wrote this chapter, was by thinking of a clever title, and then molding the story around it. Which is unusual because most authors write the story first then the chapter title. I'm a weirdo. Okay, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow or the next day. Review for me, any feedback is awesome. Thanks guys, I'm glad you gave the story a chance:) -Mel